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« March 1, 2007 | Main | March 5, 2007 »
The second day of testimony in the murder trial of John Couey is now over.
It ended with a Citrus detective who testified that he found a shovel and a rake outside Couey's mobile home near Jessica's burial site. He described the excavation of Jessica's body and jurors saw photographs of that excavation.
The trial will resume Monday at 8:30 a.m.
It has been another emotional day in court. But not because of what witnesses said on the stand -- but because of what the jury saw.
The prosecution has been presenting physical evidence they say links Couey to Jessica's disappearance, rape and murder in 2005. One of the last pieces of evidence today was a videotape showing jurors Couey's mobile home and the area where Jessica's body was eventually unearthed.
The courtroom was silent while the tape played. The video recording carried no sound and the images were only viewed by the jurors. It was difficult to gauge their reactions.
But earlier in the day, at least one female juror cried when she learned she would soon be shown disturbing images of the crime: photographs of Jessica's body, her wrists bound with speaker wires, the black plastic trash bags in which she was wrapped and buried alive, a mattress and pillows belonging to Couey that prosecutors have said are stained with Jessica's blood, the wall of his closet which allegedly has Jessica's fingerprints and -- perhaps the most heart-wrenching piece of physical evidence -- Jessica's purple dolphin, the same one she was found clutching when her body was dug up near Couey's mobile home.
But the day is not over. Prosecutor Peter Magrino is now opening other exhibits, including a rake and a shovel.
---Eddy Ramirez
Citrus Detective Brian Spiddle is the last witness the state has called to the stand for today. He will testify about what he found at the Lunsford's Homosassa residence after Jessica went missing.
Couey's attorney Daniel Lewan and prosecutor Peter Magrino don't seem to have much love or patience for each other. The two have sparred throughout the day over witness testimony and the way physical evidence linking Couey to Jessica's murder has been presented.
Lewan has made numerous objections against Magrino's line of questioning. At one point, Lewan complained that Magrino was standing too close to the jury. "With all due respect judge, I'm below the rail," Magrino responded with a roll of the eyes and becoming visibly upset.
Magrino and Lewan don't engage each other directly but speak to the judge or to the court. Magrino, for example, has reminded "the court" several times that he and his colleague Ric Ridgway have previously provided the defense with all the evidence being presented at trial.
But Lewan keeps interrupting Magrino and insisting on reviewing every exhibit -- photographs, Jessica's purple dolphin, the trash bags in which she was buried -- that Magrino presents at trial.
Will tensions boil over? Stay tuned.
--Eddy Ramirez
Jurors are standing and straining their necks to get a close look at another piece of evidence: one of the walls in Couey's closet, which prosecutors carted into the courtroom earlier in the day.
Prosecutors say Jessica's fingerprints were on the walls of Couey's closet.
The jurors, with pens and notebooks in hand, are now back in their seats. The closet wall has been admitted into evidence.
-Eddy Ramirez
The trial has resumed after an hour lunch.
Citrus Detective Dave Cannaday has been called to the witness stand once again to give testimony about how he examined Jessica's fingerprints and other physical evidence from the crime scene. It's tedious but crucial testimony for the state's case.
Everyone in the courtroom is sitting still and listening. But after weeks into the trial, the hard courtroom benches have taken a toll on some members of the audience and the media.
Mark Lunsford is using a cushy pillow with embroidery from his hotel room to ease the discomfort. He has been seen in the courthouse lugging it around inside a plastic grocery bag for the past two days. His mother, Ruth, also brought a seat pillow.
St. Pete Times reporter John Frank is using a nifty air cushion. Citrus County Chronicle reporter Dave Pieklik settled for a pillow that he plucked from the sofa inside his condo. His colleague Cristy Loftis is improvising with the soft padding of her computer carrying case.
The jurors seem to be more comfortable in their seats.
-Eddy Ramirez
Jurors are sneaking peeks at a purple stuffed dolphin and other evidence that was recovered from Jessica's body and that has now been admitted as part of the state's case against murder suspect John Couey.
Couey is whispering into his attorney's ear.
We're now breaking for lunch.
-Eddy Ramirez
The prosecution is prepared to show the jury the plastic trash bags in which Jessica was wrapped and buried alive. Autopsy photos of Jessica's body have also been admitted into evidence.
But as the prosecutor pulled one of trash bags out, Couey's attorney Daniel Lewan called for a sidebar with the judge. They're talking among themselves now. The jury waits.
-Eddy Ramirez
A prosecutor just showed the jury a photograph of Jessica's body wrapped in plastic trash bags. It's the first photo of her that jurors have seen since seeing yesterday's image of her sporting a pink hat and a joyful grin.
Some leaned forward to see the photo more closely. Some looked away after stealing a glance.
One juror, a woman, started crying even before seeing the photo.
No one else in the courtroom can see the images -- judge's orders.
-Eddy Ramirez
Detective James Holder testified that he found Jessica's lifeless body with her wrists bound near Couey's mobile home. She was holding a purple dolphin, he said.
The photographs have been admitted into evidence. Prosecutors are about to show them to the jury, but the judge has ordered that the camera in the courtroom is turned off or covered so as not to show the jurors' faces.
Bailiffs are bringing tissues out.
We will bring you the jurors' reaction.
 Follow the latest developments in the murder trial of John Couey as compiled and reported by the staff of the St. Petersburg Times and tampabay.com. |
